Becker hypothesized that the underlying scientific explanation for the ancient Chinese method of clinical treatment known as acupuncture involved the flow of information via electromagnetic energy along channels in the body that were invisible to Western imaging techniques yet were regarded in China as ontologically real. Following Richard Nixon’s 1972 visit to China, limited research funding for acupuncture studies became available from the National Institutes of Health and Becker secured one of the grants. He focused his research on seeking evidence for the existence of the channels (meridians), the external locations on the skin where they could be accessed by clinicians (acupuncture points), and electrodermal activity occurring at the points. Between 1975 and 1979 he published experimental studies that provided evidence for each of these phenomena as well as review and methods papers. His research in these areas compared favorably with that of the other Western scientists who studied acupuncture.